FIRST RIDE BMW R1300GS
The king of the adventure bike market gets its biggest upgrade for a decade
BMW’S R1250GS HAS set the adventure bike standard since 2019. As a package, this proven boxer twin is hard to beat.
However, with serious competition from KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure S, Triumph’s Tiger 1200 GT, Ducati’s Multistrada V4 and Honda’s Africa Twin Adventure Sports chipping away at the GS’s position atop the adventure bike pile, BMW has raised the bar yet again with the all-new R1300GS.
The R1300GS, which starts from £15,990, is the lightest, punchiest, most compact and powerful big-bore GS yet. Not only that, it boasts a more impressive level of standard equipment than ever before, as well as a mind-boggling choice of optional extras – including new luggage, an electronic ride height adjuster, semi-active suspension with variable spring rates, and even a collision warning system that’ll apply the brakes should an emergency arise.
Tinkering with a proven and much ‐loved formula is tricky. Go too far and you may lose the essence of what made the previous model so great. Not far enough and the opposition could steal a march.
Fortunately, BMW has navigated those waters with aplomb. The 1300 retains its distinctive GS genes and is instantly familiar the moment you hop on board, while also being that bit more manageable thanks to a lower, narrower tank – that holds a litre less juice than previously – and an overall nip and tuck from front to back. As a result, the new bike is lighter than its predecessor by a not unsubstantial 12kg.
The boxer twin powerplant, while visually like its predecessor, has enjoyed way more than the odd tweak here and there. BMW has re-engineered it from the ground up, making the 1300cc unit more over-square with a wider bore – up from 102.5mm to 106.5mm – and reducing stroke from 76mm to 73mm to release more rpm at the top end.
Indeed, the 1300’s redline is now a giddy (for a boxer twin) 9000rpm. BM’s clever and effective ShiftCam top ends improve flexibility by running a softer cam lobe below 4000rpm, to aid low-down grunt and fuel efficiency, before switching to a sportier cam profile for higher rpm performance. Peak power is up from 134bhp to 143bhp at the same 7750rpm, while torque is improved by 4lb·ft to 110lb·ft, now at 6500rpm – 250rpm higher than on the 1250.
On the road, there’s a noticeable uplift in torque between 3600rpm and 7800rp
